The Tie That Binds
by upsilon
Summary: Third in my trilogy....a big problem arises when Harm and Mac take on a murder case & the kids go missing....
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I have received from all of you on my previous two stories. This is a new one. It is the third, and final installment in this little family trilogy of mine. I hope you enjoy it. Please review it if you get the chance! Thanks!  
  
On with the story..  
  
It has been a whole year since the birth of Samantha, Sasha, and Jessica, and nearly a year since our heroes walked down the aisle. We join them at the JAG Headquarters, where they are working, as they usually did. However, something isn't very usual about this particular day...  
  
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia 1125 ZULU  
  
"Gunny, I need the files on the Ramirez case! And where in the heck did my co council go? Aren't we due for a meeting with our client in about 4 minutes and 23 seconds?" Mac whined uncharacteristically.  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Sighed Gunny, handing her a stack of files. "And the Commander went out, Ma'am. Said he was taking a lunch break or something." he mumbled.  
  
"Gunny, when you see him, tell him to avoid me for a while." Mac warned.  
  
"Why, ma'am?" asked the Gunny curiously.  
  
"Because I might hurt hi if he strolls in here any time soon." She revealed. "Hey Lt.!" Mac yelled, smiling.  
  
"Hey Mac." Said Lauren. "Do you and Harm have any plans tonight? It's our anniversary, remember?" she grinned.  
  
"Yeah, we have plans." Mac grinned, already in a better mood. "His parents are coming up from California to baby sit the kids so we can go out for a little while. But if he doesn't get back here soon for our meeting in two minutes and nine seconds, I'm going to strangle him before we have the chance to go out tonight.." She growled.  
  
"I know what you mean." Lauren laughed. "Sergei disappeared about an hour ago, and the Admiral wants us on a plane to Leavenworth in about an hour." she worried.  
  
"Leavenworth?" Mac laughed. "Oh, have fun." She smirked.  
  
"I know." Said Lauren flatly. "I'm bursting with joy." She glanced around the office, looking for Sergei. "Hey, are you guys still watching Jessica while we're gone?" she asked.  
  
"Of course!" smiled Mac, wrapping her sister in law in a hug. She glanced over Lauren's shoulder and smiled. "Well, Harm is here. About time." She smirked. She pat Lauren on the shoulder and headed off in his direction.  
  
"Hey Flyboy!" she called. "Did you forget that we have a client meeting in 42 seconds?"  
  
"No.." he lied, shifting his eyes.  
  
"You're so lucky the meeting is just inside the courtroom.." She threatened playfully.  
  
"God forbid you were ever late for anything.." Harm smiled, opening the door for her.  
  
Inside the Courtroom JAG Headquarters- Falls Church, Virginia 1130 ZULU  
  
"Let me get this straight, Corporal.This file here that I have says that you threatened to kill her." Mac read.  
  
"Well, yes, ma'am, I did.but I didn't mean it.." He stammered.  
  
"So, when she turns up dead, what was everyone supposed to believe?" Mac asked. "There are testimonies in here from several witnesses who heard the argument, and the threat that you made that night. That is why you are being investigated." she explained.  
  
"Before we go any further," Harm interjected, "there is one thing that you have to tell us. And you have to be completely honest, whether your answer is good or not. Perjury is a pretty big trouble maker too, you know." Harm warned.  
  
"Well, what is it?" asked Ramirez hopefully.  
  
"Did you do this?" Harm asked. "And if not, is there anything you can tell us that would help us figure out who did do it?" he asked.  
  
"No, sir!" Ramirez yelped. "I didn't do it, sir! I didn't kill my wife! We argued often, but I loved my wife! I would never do something like this!"  
  
"Okay, Ramirez." Mac groaned. "If you didn't do it, tell us who you think did it." she coaxed. "If you help us get some good concrete evidence, we might be able to get you off the hook..."  
  
"There was a man where she worked at. He wasn't very nice..and he had shifty eyes. You know what I mean?" Ramirez explained.  
  
"A man with 'shifty eyes' won't get you off a murder charge, but if you think this man actually may have killed your wife, just give us a name, and we'll look into it." Mac promised.  
  
"His name was Ryan Johnson." Sighed Ramirez. "Sometimes when Cynthia came home she would complain about him. She said she thought he was crazy.and they never got along very well.." Ramirez admitted.  
  
"Corporal, where is it that your wife worked?" Harm asked, an eyebrow raising.  
  
"Well, we were only married two years before.this." he stumbled. "And she always told me she worked at the police station. But when I went there to pick up her things, they said she'd never worked there in her life. I'm just so confused right now." he sighed.  
  
Harm massaged his temples, and looked up at Ramirez. "That's messed up." he said. "We'll be sure to look into that before we check out anything else.." He promised.  
  
Harm and Mac's Apartment Washington, DC 1732 ZULU  
  
Harm and Mac shuffled into their home. Harm mom was bouncing Jessica and Samantha on either one of her knees. Frank was carrying Sasha around on his shoulders. Both of them stopped when Harm and Mac came into the living room.  
  
"What's wrong?" his mother asked first.  
  
"Nothing mom. Just another weird case." Harm whined. "Are you and Frank staying here tonight?" he asked.  
  
"Actually, no. Sergei and Lauren gave us an apartment key to their place so we can give you some privacy." She grinned.  
  
"Okay." Harm nodded.  
  
"Hey, Flyboy, can we just stay in tonight? And we can celebrate this weekend when Sergei and Lauren are back?"  
  
Later That Night Harm and Mac's Apartment  
  
Mac bolted awake and smacked Harm in the head. "Ow!" He whined, rubbing his head. "What the heck was that for?!"  
  
"Something's wrong, Harm." Mac whispered.  
  
"What in the world is wrong at 2 am in the morning?" he demanded sleepily.  
  
"I heard something." Mac revealed.  
  
"What?!" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Something fell, Harm.and I can't hear the kids."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Harm.  
  
"Just what I said." worried Mac as she slipped from the bed.  
  
"Wait Mac.I'm coming with you.just in case." sighed Harm, following her out of the room.  
  
Mac pushed open the bedroom door where the kids were staying, and gasped. "Harm, the kids are gone! All three of them!" she screamed.  
  
Harm surveyed the room. A mirror was broken, a blanket was laying on the ground, and various toys were still all over the floor. He somehow kept the lump from rising in his throat, and rushed to catch Mac as she dropped to the floor in a fit of sobbing.  
  
"Mac, it'll be okay." he tried to convince her. "I'll call mom, and Sergei, and we'll call the Admiral and Webb. It will be okay. We'll find them. They're going to be alright." he sighed, and held his wife as she sobbed.  
  
A/N: Feedback? You like??? 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: AGAIN, sorry for the delay. School is kicking me in the head guys, so the updates may take longer than they used to! Hope you like the second chapter!  
  
Admiral Chegwidden's Home McLean, Virginia 2331 ZULU  
  
Admiral AJ Chegwidden awoke to the ringing of his phone. It was just after eleven thirty, so he was already prepared to kill whoever was on the other line. He picked up the phone, and groggily answered, "Chegwidden. Who is this? Are you aware that it's after 11:30?" he snapped.  
  
Heavy breathing could be heard on the other line. Finally, someone replied. "Sir, I'm so sorry. Um, we have a really, really big problem." Harm sighed.  
  
The Admiral sat up, rubbing his eyes and reaching for his glasses on the nearby nightstand. "What is such a big emergency that you had to call and wake me up at this hour?" he demanded.  
  
"Sir, you know how Mac and I were watching Jessica for Sergei and Lauren?" Harm began uncertainly.  
  
"Yes." Sighed the Admiral. "Please get to your point soon Commander." he yawned sleepily.  
  
"Sir, Mac woke up about an hour ago, and she woke me up insisting she had heard a noise. To humor her, I got up to search the house.and." On the other line, the Admiral could hear the Commander fighting back his tears.  
  
"Come on, Sailor. What's happened?" he asked, more concerned now than ever. "Come on. Pull yourself together, get your head on a little straighter, and tell me what's wrong." he really hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but he waited patiently for Harm's reply.  
  
"Sir, they're gone. All three of them. Someone broke into the house." Harm choked. "Mac must've woken up as they were leaving, but we've searched. We can't find the people responsible..we can't even find a note." Harm's voice broke.  
  
"Harm.." Sighed the Admiral. "Let me speak to Mac.please.." He added.  
  
"Sir.I'm not sure that would be a good idea." Harm sighed, wiping away fugitive tears.  
  
"Have you been able to reach the Zukhov's at all?" the Admiral asked.  
  
"No, sir.." Harm admitted, barely above a whisper. "My parents are here trying to calm Mac down. They tried to reach Sergei too, sir, but his phone isn't working."  
  
"Have your parents been able to calm Mac down at all?" asked the Admiral sympathetically.  
  
There was silence a second. "No, sir.Not at all. I called you to ask two favors, sir. One, could you please contact Webb and have him contact Lauren and Sergei? And two, could you come over and talk to Mac? She sees you as a father figure sir. I think we all do. It might do some good if you came over and talked with her for a minute."  
  
"Of course." Sighed the Admiral, laden with a burden that he could barely stand. The Rabb and Zukhov children were missing, and there was already so much that was being asked of him. The only thing he was worried about was not being able to accomplish it all. "I'll be there in half an hour. I'll call Webb from your house. Sit tight." he told Harm, and then, promptly hanging up, raced to his car.  
  
Harm and Mac's Apartment Washington, DC Half an Hour Later...  
  
The Admiral pulled up to the apartment complex just in time, and raced up the stairs. Harm and Mac's door was tightly shut, but as soon as he knocked, Harm's step dad Frank opened the door, inviting him in, and handing him a cup of coffee.  
  
Seeing Admiral Chegwidden walk into the room, Harm's mom got off the floor where she had been sitting with Mac, and walked over to Frank. "We'll go back to Sergei's apartment..in case they try to call.." She choked.  
  
"Okay, mom." sighed Harm. He wrapped his mother in a hug, and opened the door for her and Frank. When they got down the hallway, he closed the door, plopping down on the couch and burying his face in his hands.  
  
The Admiral sat on the floor next to Mac. She looked up at him, her eyes swollen from her crying, and smiled. "I'll get this taken care of, Mac.don't worry. Calm down, and I'll have people over here in five seconds. Have you tried to call the police?" he turned his attention to Harm, on the couch behind him.  
  
"Yeah." Harm smirked bitterly. "We called them a half hour ago.and nobody's been sent over here yet."  
  
"What?!" the Admiral exploded. "I'll take care of that.." He said in his usual take-charge manner.  
  
The Admiral picked up the phone. First he called Webb. After three rings, he answered his phone. "Webb, this is Chegwidden." He informed him. "I need you to get ahold of the Zukhov's. They're away on assignment, and something terrible has happened."  
  
"What?" asked Webb curiously.  
  
"There has been a kidnapping." The Admiral informed him. "All three of the children were stolen. "Now, before you do anything else, you get ahold of those two, and then."  
  
"I have a pretty good idea of what you want me to do." frowned Webb. "Just send me the information as soon as you get it, and I'll be happy to oblige."  
  
"Thanks, Webb." Smiled the Admiral, hanging up.  
  
The next people he called wouldn't be so lucky as to catch him in a good mood. He called the Washington DC police department.  
  
The phone rang so much that the Admiral had begun to tap his fingers on the table by the time someone picked the phone up. "Washington DC Police Department." said a man's voice on the other line.  
  
"Ahem.." The Admiral cleared his throat. "I'm calling from the Rabb residence. I believe you should already have their address on file there because THEY CALLED HALF AN HOUR AGO!" He screamed into the receiver.  
  
"Sir, please calm down.." Said the man on the other end, now slightly softer than he was before.  
  
"I will not!" the Admiral yelled. "There has been a kidnapping here. I want some investigators over here in five seconds or I'm going to deal with you." He threatened.  
  
"Sir, do not make threats to this office." Warned the man.  
  
"Oh, it's not a threat young man. This is Admiral AJ Chegwidden, the Navy Judge Advocate General. Now, my officers have been waiting over an hour for one of your squad cars to arrive, and if one doesn't arrive very soon, I'm going to take matters into my own hands..and you wouldn't like that much." the Admiral promised.  
  
"Yes sir. A car is on its way." the man stuttered.  
  
"That's what I thought." Smirked the Admiral, hanging up.  
  
  
  
Five minutes later, a number of squad cars showed up at the apartment complex. A couple of the investigators began asking Harm and Mac questions while the remaining police officers collected evidence. Nearly an hour went by before one of them hollered: "I've got a finger print!"  
  
Harm and Mac stopped answering questions to look up at the police officer, a glimmer of hope shining in their eyes. The phone rang, and their attention briefly went from the police officer, to the phone, and back again.  
  
The Admiral answered it. "Hello?" he asked.  
  
"Sir.." Sergei whispered.  
  
"Sgt!" the Admiral screamed.  
  
"Lauren and I got a fax from Webb, sir.."  
  
"He sent you a FAX??!" The Admiral nearly popped when Sergei told him of the way they had learned of their only child's kidnapping.  
  
"Yes, sir. We're on our way home right now. Some local JAG's have taken over the case."  
  
"I don't care about that case right now, Sgt." the Admiral sighed. "Just get home.."  
  
A/N: You like? Sorry for the cliff hanger, but for right now I am a little blocked on this subject..I'm a little busy worrying about a German test, so as I'm trying to think about this, that keeps popping into my head...I'll try and have a new chapter up soon though. Promise. Please Review this one. I need to know what everyone thinks.. Thanks! 


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Are you guys liking this?! Hope so! Here's chapter three!  
  
Harm and Mac's Apartment Washington, DC The Next Morning- 9am  
  
Sergei and Lauren rushed into the living room, both gasping for breath. Sergei hugged Mac and his brother while Lauren surveyed the kid's room. It was in ruins. She gasped, and Mac wrapped her in a hug. "It'll be alright." she whispered. "You can cry if you want to. I have." she admitted.  
  
"What are they waiting for?" demanded Sergei. "I was told that they found a finger print last night.."  
  
"They did," sighed Mac. "Except they can't find a match in their files...wait!...." she sighed, grabbing her coat and heading for the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked Harm, ready to follow her.  
  
"I'm going to JAG. I have an idea." Smirked Mac.  
  
"What would that be?" asked Lauren, wiping away a stray tear.  
  
"You'll see." frowned Mac. She opened her door to a flood of reporters.  
  
"Mrs. Rabb, when did you first realize your children were missing? Could this be some sort of act of aggression from a sour client? Does the military court martial people for bad parenting?" a reporter fired. At the last comment, Mac sighed, pulled her fist back, and let the reporter have it.  
  
"That felt so good." She decided, rubbing her knuckles.  
  
"Come on, dear." Harm sighed. "We've got a job to do.." He led her through the mass of reporters, not commenting on a single thing they said. It took nearly five minutes for Harm, Mac, Sergei, and Lauren to all make it safely to the car.  
  
"Would you please let me in on your little idea?" Harm begged.  
  
"The police don't have the fingerprint in their files, right?" she said in reply. Everyone nodded. "Maybe that's because the person who did this isn't on their files yet?" she suggested.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Sergei.  
  
"There aren't a whole bunch of people that know that Harm and I and you and Lauren are married Sergei." she explained. "It's mostly just family, friends of family, and..."  
  
"People who have been to the office and seen our name tags!" Lauren realized.  
  
"Are you suggesting someone at the office kidnapped our kids??!" Harm yelled. "Because that may actually be the most farfetched thing I have ever heard you say! It's crazy!"  
  
"She doesn't mean our 'friends' at the office, Harm." Lauren realized.  
  
"One of our clients..." Harm realized. "What about Ramirez?" he suggested. "Has he been catalogued yet?" he asked.  
  
"I don't think so. The military didn't want the DCPD to interfere." Mac sighed.  
  
"And when we talked to him, Ramirez couldn't answer a single question straight foreward." Harm analyzed.  
  
Mac picked up her phone, quickly dialing a number. "Webb!" she yelled. "Two questions. One, was there a Sophia Ramirez that used to work for you? And two, is there a Ryan Johnson working for you now?" she asked.  
  
"Mac, you know I'm not allowed to answer those types of questions." Webb sighed.  
  
"If you don't answer those questions, I am going to cause you serious harm. Now this is IMPORTANT. Answer the question Webb!" she ordered.  
  
"Fine." Webb growled sourly. "A Sophia Ramirez used to work here. But her husband found out, and she didn't want to jeopardize anything, so she quit. He didn't like the idea of her working here anyways. No Ryan Johnson has ever worked here though. At least not in my time.." Webb admitted.  
  
"Thanks, Webb. You may have just helped me solve the case." Mac smiled to Harm, who gave a thumbs up to Lauren and Sergei in the back seat. "Bye." Mac said, hanging up.  
  
"Who are Ryan Johnson and Sophia Ramirez?" asked Sergei.  
  
"Sophia Ramirez was the woman who was murdered last month. Her husband is the prime suspect, and Harm and I are supposed to defend him.." Mac sighed. "Ryan Johnson doesn't exist.." She said this more to Harm than to anyone.  
  
"Then he lied to us!" Harm was outraged.  
  
"He found out Sophia worked for the CIA. Webb says he wasn't very happy about it, and so she quit..so he also knew that she didn't work at the police station.which could also mean that he could've lied about everything else as well.." Mac decided, nodding, and again picking up her cell and dialing a number.  
  
The Admiral picked up on the third ring. "Judge Advocate General's office..Mac?" he realized. "What?!" He listened to Mac detailed report. "Do you think he could've done something like this? Why would he do it if you were going to defend him?"  
  
"Sir, maybe he thought we would figure out he was lying, and this was a way to keep us out of his way for a while. Could you have Gunny check and see if his prints are on the DCPD's files? And if they aren't.. we need to find him." She frowned.  
  
"Will do, Colonel." The Admiral nodded, calling for Gunny. "Are you on your way here?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, sir. We'll be there in five minutes at the latest." Mac sighed.  
  
"I'll be waiting for you outside." the Admiral frowned, hanging up and heading down the stairs.  
  
A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger... 


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thanks to those of you who have been reviewing. I really appreciate it a lot!  
  
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia 0922 ZULU  
  
The Admiral had begun to pace in the parking lot by the time Harm's car arrived. Everyone got out, looking exhausted. "What took you so long?!" he demanded. "I thought you said five minutes?!"  
  
"We did..but I didn't expect there to be a wreck on the next street." said Mac hotly.  
  
"Calm down, Mac. At least we're here now, huh? Now let's get down to business." He suggested, and everyone nodded.  
  
"Okay, I have bad news and better news." Said the Admiral. "Which do you want to hear first?"  
  
"For some reason, the bad news is always better than the good news. Let's hear the bad first." Mac decided.  
  
"Well, Ramirez wasn't on the files.." The Admiral sighed. "But."  
  
"Is this the good news part?" asked Lauren.  
  
"Yes." The Admiral smiled. "The Gunny found Ramirez at an OLD address." He finished.  
  
"And?" asked Mac, nearly annoyed.  
  
"And your children are fine. They are waiting for you inside.." The Admiral pointed, and Harm, Mac, Lauren, and Sergei all bolted for the front door. The Admiral continued to walk, and by the time he made it up the stairs, he had missed the touching family reunion.  
  
Mac handed Samantha to Harm. He now held both of the twins. He gave her a confused look as she walked over to the Admiral. "Sir, thank you." She hugged him.  
  
"It was nothing." He smiled.  
  
"Sir, I want to prosecute Ramirez.on both charges." Mac requested.  
  
"Hey!" Harm whined. "I wanted to prosecute!"  
  
"I just want to beat the tar out of him." Sergei admitted honestly. He smiled at Lauren and his little girl. "Can I sir?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"The Admiral laughed. "Sorry, Sergei. I can't give you permission to do that. But you and Lauren can assist Harm and Mac in prosecuting this jerk if you really want to."  
  
"Okay." Sergei agreed.  
  
"Gladly.." Lauren nodded.  
  
"Here he comes." whispered the Gunny. Ramirez was being dragged from one of the court rooms.  
  
Harm's face turned red. He couldn't help it. He knew he was going to get to have the pleasure of throwing this jerk in jail.but at the moment, as he was holding his twins, that just didn't seem like enough for him. He put Sasha and Samantha, who were both smiling at him, down, and calmly walked over to Ramirez.  
  
"Hello." he smirked.  
  
Ramirez said nothing, only nodded.  
  
Harm cleared his throat. "You will be charged with the following: Kidnapping, Fleeing from Authority, perjury, and murder 1.." Harm listed. "I actually think there are a few more, but my thoughts are a little clouded right now." he admitted.  
  
Ramirez blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. And still, he said nothing.  
  
"Oh," smirked Harm. "And for stealing my children, and making my wife, my parents, my brother, and his wife cry.." Harm listed, and punched Ramirez straight in the face.  
  
"Commander!" the Admiral yelled.  
  
"Backing off now, sir..." Harm promised. He looked at Mac, Sergei, and Lauren, who were all smiling proudly at him.  
  
Once things settled down, the Admiral corralled Harm, Mac, Sergei, and Lauren in his office. "The trial's already set. A week from tomorrow. Will you all be prepared?" he asked.  
  
"Yes." They all nodded.  
  
"You won't need any luck to win this one." he whispered, and dismissed them. "Take those kiddies home." He ordered.  
  
"Yes sir." They all promised.  
  
A/N: Sorry for the short-ness of this chapter. The next chapter will be the trial, the end of this story, and the end of my little trilogy. It should be up in about a week! 


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry for the long wait on the final chapter guys! Finals are coming up, so some of you may know how that goes. Anyways.on with the show!!!  
  
JAG Headquarters Falls Church Virginia One week Later...  
  
"So we're putting Sergei and Lauren up there?" Mac thought aloud. "I hope they don't get upset with the questioning."  
  
"They won't." Harm promised her sweetly. "I've made sure that the line of questioning doesn't go out of line."  
  
"It better not, or I may have to hurt you." Said Mac in a playful, yet serious tone.  
  
The courtroom came into view, and Mac let out a big breath. "I hope he goes away for a long time for all that he's done." She said under her breath. "In fact, I'm going to make sure of it." she decided.  
  
"Simmer down, dear. We'll do what we can." Harm promised.  
  
* *  
  
"And could you tell the court what you found when you checked your files?" Harm asked Webb.  
  
"The man that Ramirez had apparently told you about never worked for me." Said Webb.  
  
"And what about Sophia Ramirez?" asked Harm.  
  
"I knew that Mr. Ramirez already knew his wife had worked for me. He had got really upset about it, so she decided to quit so as not to cause any problems."  
  
"And do you have any opinion as to why the defendant would lie about his wife and make up a CIA agent?" asked Harm mockingly.  
  
"Not really. Unless he was hiding something." Webb analyzed.  
  
"That's all for now, your honor." Smiled Harm as he took a seat.  
  
  
  
By the end of that day, the defense was buried in Harm and Mac's defense. Ramirez's head hung, but it made Harm and Mac pretty happy to see him going down. Harm and Mac were pretty sure that they had proved that Ramirez was guilty of murdering his wife, but now came the part where the kidnapping came in. Harm called Sergei to the stand first.  
  
Sergei told his side of the story, and Harm verified this with the judge as they went along. It nearly got him in trouble, but he couldn't help it. Just thinking about what had happened to his children gave him a sour taste in his mouth.  
  
By the time Sergei was done with his testimony, the judge was leaning forward in her seat, a concerned and disturbed look on her face. Harm excused Sergei from the stand, and took a few minutes to clear his head. He rubbed his temples, and Mac stood. "Sir, could we have a few." she began.  
  
"Colonel, that won't be necessary. I have heard all I want and need to hear of this case. I am ready to hear closing arguments.." She said.  
  
"Thank you, your honor." Smiled Mac.  
  
Harm and Mac gave their closing arguments. All of the jury listened intently, nodding at almost every word that they said. The defense tried to give their closing arguments, but it didn't help. The jury finished deliberating in about five minutes.  
  
"We find the defendant guilty on all charges and specifications." The announced unanimously.  
  
"That settles it." Smiled the judge. "This court will reconvene tomorrow morning to discuss sentencing." She said, and dismissed everyone.  
  
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia The Next Day.  
  
"Corporal Ramirez, this court sentences you to a minimum of twenty years at Leavenworth for the crimes that you have committed. Upon completion of this, you will be stripped of your rank, and dishonorably discharged from the Navy. You will loose all of your benefits as well. Your sentence starts tomorrow." The judge's gavel hit the table, and Harm, Mac, Sergei, and Lauren jumped up happily. The Admiral stood and clapped.  
  
Sturgis held all three children on his lap as he sat, clapping along with the Admiral. The kids took up his clapping, and smiled, holding out their arms and patiently waiting for their parents to scoop them up into their arms.  
  
They did, and went home happy and safe. None of the children were never out through such a drama again, and neither were their parents.  
  
A Little Epilogue..  
  
As for Ramirez, he ended up serving an extra five years at Leavenworth for bad behavior. He wasn't released from Leavenworth until he was nearly sixty, and Jessica, Sasha, and Samantha were all grown up. None of them remembered anything except for what their parents told them in stories, and ironically, Jessica and Sasha were now pilots in the Navy, and Samantha, she was a Marine, following in her mother's footsteps, and working as a lawyer for JAG.. 


End file.
